CHINESE MASSING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 December 1940, Page 5

CHINESE MASSING

ON INDO-CHINA BORDER ' ALLEGED SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT. PUTTING RESTRAINT ON JAPAN. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 9.5 a.m.) HANOI, December 9. Authoritative neutral and also Chinese circles have reported that five crack divisions of Chinese troops, equipped with heavy artillery, are concentrated on the Indo-China-Kwangsi border and that additional forces are arriving daily. This is reported to be the result of an alleged Chinese-British agreement, whereby China, with the aid of Britain, is restraining further Japanese moves southward. A denial of any alliance between Britain and China has been broadcast by the 8.8. C. GUERILLAS/ACTIVE DESTRUCTION OF JAPANESE TRAINS. HUNDREDS OF CASUALTIES. (Received This Day, 9.5 a.m.) SHANGHAI, December 9. It is authoritatively stated that Chinese guerillas in one week blew up five Japanese trains, mostly in North China. There were several hundred casualties, including a few Japanese troops.

SHARP FIGHTING THAILAND AND FRENCH FORCES. AIR AND ARTILLERY OPERATIONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, December 9. A message from Hanoi says that serious fighting has broken out on the northern frontier of Laos Province, both sides using machine-guns and dropping bombs. At Savannakhet French “Seventyfives” blazed into action at 7.45 a.m., hurling more than 30 shells across the Mekong River. It is understood their target was a Thai airport; The Siamese, replying against Savannakhet, swept the objective with machine-guns and the fire of small artillery. A representative of the American United Press spotted a battery of 105 howitzers on the Trai banks of the river. It is reliably reported that French planes carried out reprisals at dawn following yesterday’s bombing of Vientiane. An official French communique states: “Early yesterday without pro-' vocation Thai troops machine-gunned the French side of the Mekong River at Vientiane and we replied. There were no casualties on our side. At 8.10 a.m. the shooting was resumed and in the afternoon a Thai plane flew over Vientiane but dropped no bombs.

“At 5 p.m. three light bombers and one fighter dropped 10 bombs on Vientiane, injuring a civilian, burning a house and destroying two huts. The French authorities for the past three months have shown sufficient coldbloodedness and willingness to negotiate; however, they could not tolerate this. This morning a French planedropped 22 bombs on Lakhon, in Thailand, south-east of Vientiane.”